Q: First of all, I would like to talk about your impression of the atmosphere at Croke Park in Ireland's first NFL regular season game. How does it compare to the regular season in the United States?
A: For lack of a better description, it is special in many ways. First of all, I was surprised by how horizontal a city Dublin is. You know, I've been looking forward to coming to Dublin city center and seeing some of the skyscrapers and all that. The stadium is the biggest thing in sight. The number of fans on the sidewalks and in places like bars was impressive. The closer you get to the stadium, there's probably just as many people outside the stadium as there are inside throughout the day. It's an incredible environment. Inside the stadium, their level of involvement throughout the game was outstanding. It was a humbling experience to be a part of it.
Q: Do you feel like the fans in the stadium really understand the sport based on their reactions and actions?
A: Yeah, sometimes I think they're just excited. But I don't know if you feel that acute awareness of certain situations in the stadium at times, but it's still a great atmosphere nonetheless.
Q: In terms of the back-and-forth in the win over Minnesota, how much of an impact did Aaron Rodgers' ability to use the pace and steal the ball late in the game play in deciphering Brian Flores' attempts to cover the defense?
A: It does help on the field, but I tell you, I think his reputation for those things you mentioned is probably what helps the most. I probably thought Coach Flores wasn't as aggressive as he usually is. There is no doubt that Aaron's ability is also one of the core reasons. Aaron is known for handling a lot at the line of scrimmage, weaponizing pace, making perfect plays in and out, and more. I think Coach Flores largely doesn't want to test that, so he's not as aggressive as you've seen his unit be in weeks.
Q: It’s said that another of Aaron Rodgers’ assets is that he “shows up on time.” what does that mean? How does this help the offense?
A: He moves very fluidly throughout the offense, sometimes reading the components of the offense before the snap, before he gets the ball in his hands. All this leads to fluidity in operating times. He can get the ball out quickly. In this industry, there’s something we call – TTT – time to throw. His pass timing is excellent, which generally means his ability to handle the defense, pass the ball and get the ball to the right target. As I mentioned, this is more than pure advancement for him. He has the ability to eliminate potential passes or options before the ball is snapped as he is adept at gathering information in a variety of ways to aid TTT.
Q: In reviewing the injuries during Tuesday's press conference, you said Jalen Ramsey and Calvin Austin were very aggressive in their rehab during the bye. What does it mean to be active in recovery?
A: It just takes time. I've seen it in the building many times. “We don’t pay by the hour” is a cliche we use on this matter, and I think it reflects those people’s attitude toward rehab. They're really aggressive, man. They spend a lot of time with our training and rehab staff, which I think is very helpful.
Q: Since Calvin Austin is not active today, what is there in Roman Wilson and/or Scotty Miller's repertoire that could help them fill that void?
A: They're all talented guys, especially Reigns, he just lacks experience. But the only way to gain experience is to compete, so he works very hard. I'm pleased with his overall progress as far as his growth and development. He has more good days than bad. For young, developing players, opportunities like this are huge. Normally, we say one guy's misfortune is another guy's opportunity, and what you saw today was an opportunity for these two guys to step up and elevate their roles in our offense.
Q: You often talk about expecting players to take a huge leap forward in their second season. This is a description of Roman Wilson. He is entering his second season. What did you see in him?
A: I see his dramatic growth and development every day. It's not necessarily going to be successful in the stadium, but again, I watch it every day and I know what happens every day is always going to be in the stadium, so it's just a matter of time. Sometimes it takes an opportunity like this, the absence of Calvin Austin, to have that effect. He's had a really good time, he's been really good in pre-season, so from my perspective it's a natural progression.
Q: Today's opponent is the Cleveland Browns, and in evaluating their offense, you mentioned that their interior offensive linemen — center Ethan Pocic and linebackers Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller — set the tempo for the team. How does the interior offensive line set the tempo for the team? How exactly did this trio do it?
A: The core of their running game is centered around that group in terms of volume in non-situational moments. They will do a zone plan for you. They will gap program you. They pulled two guards. These guys are so experienced individually and collectively that the vast majority of their games are played out through the exploits of these guys in non-situational moments. Their position in the middle is very solid in special circumstances. When you have an undersized quarterback, you need a really solid group up the middle to provide clarity. I just think that in general football discussions we often spend a lot of time talking about passers, passers, runners, receivers, etc., and there's certainly a lot to say about Cleveland. They have a lot of interesting, exciting young people who quietly play important roles for them behind the scenes. Pocic, Bitonio, and Teller are the core figures of the team, not only in terms of talent, but also in terms of experience. You will feel it. Cleveland is a very good short yardage team because the short yardage runs through the centers and backs. So there are a lot of situational moments, some subtle, some not so subtle, where their talents and experience come into play. I’m not going to let our team or our defense miss the forest for the trees.
Q: When it comes to how the Browns utilize TE David Njoku and his importance to their offense, is he similar to how the Ravens utilize Mark Andrews and his importance to Baltimore's offense?
A: To be honest, that's the kind of person he is. He really did the vertical thing that Mark Andrew did – get deep and be on the seam. He was a red zone target. I remember our two teams played against each other last year. Both guys have scored touchdowns in three, four or five straight games. But the different components of Njoku's game are the tight end's coverage game and the pass game. He's a weapon in some low-risk proposals. They throw tight end coverage to him, and then they go back to third down. You get them in long yardage situations, they get maximum protection and throw him the ball, and you've seen a lot of highlights of him dragging smaller defenders and running over and through the secondary to try to create yards after the catch. I think his run after the catch makes him stand out in comparisons and discussions about his relevance to his unit.
Q: Browns coach Kevin Stefanski calls the offense a play-calling game. What kind of play-caller is he? Does it make a difference when the head coach is the play caller rather than the coordinator?
A: I don't know the difference, especially when the unit is on the field. There are definitely some consequences in terms of dealing with all three phases as a whole. But specifically when it comes to handling offense, I suspect there's a big difference. In terms of describing him as a conductor, he is pragmatic. As Kevin Colbert said, “If he had red paint, he would paint his barn red.” He wouldn't let the young quarterback get too exposed. He will play behind the interior offensive line I mentioned earlier. He'll let that runner try to control the game. He will take calculated risks associated with achieving victory. He is very practical. I’ve known Kevin (Stefanski) for a long time. We worked together in 2006 in Minnesota. He's a great football coach. He will work to highlight the individual and collective strengths of the unit, and he will certainly do a good job of minimizing things in areas that may be lacking.
Q: Besides Myles Garrett, who is Cleveland's key player or defensive player?
A: I would say, Grant Delpit, because he did a lot of things. He played safety on first and second downs. He's a good blitzer in running situations. They often pushed him over the edge from the open side. He plays cornerback on third down or pass situations. When you have a tight end who has the ability to play big, it's a challenge for the linebackers and requires a 12-man defense. When they go one-on-one, he'll hold up a tight end like Jonnu (Smith) from the nickel position. His versatility and all the things he does for them really makes me want to highlight him as the No. 2 guy because of all the things he does. He's also the personal protector of the punt team, which speaks to his versatility. Denzel Ward is clearly a top global corner who has been performing at a high level for a long time.
Q: Is there such a thing as October Football in the NFL? If so, how does it differ from September Football?
A: You should see those who lack experience gain experience. So if you put a gun to my head and asked me to describe October football, especially on special teams, guys like Carson Bruner and Jake Sawyer, their ears are no longer wet. They have been through certain situations, so we would reasonably expect them to exhibit this awareness in that momentary experience. I guess that’s what October is about. Those who are going to do that and be able to sustain our business for quite some time, their experience and the lessons they learned from September are starting to show. And for those who don’t learn their lessons, their progress will start to show. As coaches, leaders, and decision-makers, as people who divide the labor, we better recognize those who are improving and those who are not.
Q: Your record heading into the weekend after the bye was 14-4. What do you think has led to this success?
A: I don’t know, honestly, it must have been four failures. I'm trying to win in every situation. I'm trying to do what's best for our unit. Each bye week sometimes dictates different behaviors. Many factors are involved. The age and experience, or lack thereof, of your collective. Your collective fitness level. When the bye week rolls around on the calendar. So all of these games you mentioned have their own stories. If I'm doing my job, I'm preparing the team for specific things. So, that's what I've been trying to do. So when I hear this quote, I think of these four failures.